In this rendering of the planned skate park, the South Portland Community Center is across the street, to the top of the image, and the high school is to the right. Contributed / Pillar Design Studios

The South Portland Skate Park Committee is $45,000 short of the $500,000 needed to begin construction on the project off Evans Street.

The committee is negotiating on the lowest construction bid, which came in over budget, and is striving to break ground on the skate park late this summer. The 10,000-square-foot skate park, planned for a site between the South Portland Community Center and the high school, has been in the works for five years.

“It feels good to be so close,” said committee member Jeff Woodbury “But it’s really getting frustrating because we’re so close, and the big stuff has come up.”

The “big stuff” includes heightened construction costs because of supply chain and other issues spawned by the pandemic.

The committee has received three bids on the project and all came in high.

“All bids came back over our current budget, so we are continuing to fundraise while also negotiating with our lowest bidder, American Ramp Company, to see if we can get the project within budget without changing the design of the park,” committee member and the city’s Recreation Operations Manager Anthony Johnson said in an email to The Forecaster.

The city has contributed $250,000 to the project and has included another $85,000 in the proposed city budget for fiscal year 2023.

Much of the committee’s fundraising has been done through events and partnering with local businesses.

High Roller Lobster sent a food truck to a committee-sponsored Skate Jam last August and donated its profits. They plan to partner on another fundraising event this spring.

“They’re helping donate profits to us for it, which is brilliant,” Woodbury said. “They show up, they help us – and they have food.”

The Lincoln & Main Electric Bike Café & Winery and Willows Restaurant have also been great local partners, Woodbury said, with more events and fundraising support on the horizon. In addition, The Savage Family Turkey Trot 5K Run last November donated $12,000 in proceeds to the skate park project.

While it’s been a long and rough road, the committee is proud of the hard work they’ve done to transform an idea into a nearly-fully funded project.

“They’ve done an awful lot of work,” Woodbury said of his fellow committee members.

To donate, visit the South Portland Skatepark Project fundraising page at 4giving.com.